Nepal's Maoists search for coalition partners

Nepal's Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal waits to meet Nepal's President Ram Baran Yadav after announcing his resignation in Katmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, June 30, 2010. Nepal announced his resignation Wednesday, bowing to pressure from opposition Maoists who have been demanding his ouster in parliament and on the streets. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
— AP

Nepal's Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal waits to meet Nepal's President Ram Baran Yadav after announcing his resignation in Katmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, June 30, 2010. Nepal announced his resignation Wednesday, bowing to pressure from opposition Maoists who have been demanding his ouster in parliament and on the streets. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
/ AP

Nepal's Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal speaks during a televised speech announcing his resignation at his official residence in Katmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, June 30, 2010. Nepal announced his resignation Wednesday, bowing to pressure from opposition Maoists who have been demanding his ouster in parliament and on the streets. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)— AP

Nepal's Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal speaks during a televised speech announcing his resignation at his official residence in Katmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, June 30, 2010. Nepal announced his resignation Wednesday, bowing to pressure from opposition Maoists who have been demanding his ouster in parliament and on the streets. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
/ AP

Nepali Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal speaks during a televised speech at his official residence in Katmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, June 30, 2010. Nepal announced his resignation, bowing to pressure from opposition Maoists who have been demanding his ouster in parliament and on the streets. Nepal said in the speech that he decided to resign to end political deadlock and shore up the peace process that ended years of Maoist insurgency in the Himalayan nation. (AP Photo/Binod Joshi)— AP

Nepali Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal speaks during a televised speech at his official residence in Katmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, June 30, 2010. Nepal announced his resignation, bowing to pressure from opposition Maoists who have been demanding his ouster in parliament and on the streets. Nepal said in the speech that he decided to resign to end political deadlock and shore up the peace process that ended years of Maoist insurgency in the Himalayan nation. (AP Photo/Binod Joshi)
/ AP

Nepal's Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal speaks during a televised speech announcing his resignation at his official residence in Katmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, June 30, 2010. Nepal announced his resignation Wednesday, bowing to pressure from opposition Maoists who have been demanding his ouster in parliament and on the streets. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)— AP

Nepal's Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal speaks during a televised speech announcing his resignation at his official residence in Katmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, June 30, 2010. Nepal announced his resignation Wednesday, bowing to pressure from opposition Maoists who have been demanding his ouster in parliament and on the streets. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
/ AP

KATMANDU, Nepal 
Nepal's communist former rebels reached out to other political parties Thursday to form a new coalition government, a day after the prime minister resigned following months of sometimes-violent protests.

"We want to end the political deadlock as soon as possible and will be talking to other parties to reach an agreement," said Baburam Bhattarai, deputy leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists).

The party said it established a three-member committee headed by its leader, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, to negotiate with other political parties on the formation of a new government.

The other main parties have agreed to hold talks, but it was unclear whether they would be interested in a Maoist-led government.

President Rambaran Yadav asked all parties to reach an agreement and form a new government by July 7. He did not say what he would do if they failed to meet the deadline.

Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal resigned Wednesday, bowing to months of pressure from the Maoists, who demanded his ouster in parliament and in street demonstrations.

Nepal said he resigned to end the deadlock and shore up a peace process that ended the Maoists' 10-year insurgency, in which an estimated 13,000 people were killed.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said it was "vitally important that the peace process should go forward."

"Perhaps the departure of the prime minister gives yet another opportunity for the various elements within Nepalese society to come together and reach an agreement that allows for the process to move forward and return of stability to their country," Crowley told reporters.

The Maoists signed a peace agreement in 2006. Since then, they have confined their fighters to U.N.-monitored camps and joined mainstream politics, winning the most seats in 2008 elections.

Nepal took the post of prime minister in May 2009 after the previous government led by the Maoists resigned following differences with the president over the firing of the army chief.

In May, the Maoists called a general strike that shut down the nation for more than a week. Street demonstrations turned violent with clashes between communist supporters and police.

The protests also delayed the writing of a new constitution, which was supposed to be completed by May. The deadline was extended by a year.